River Island State Park

"Back in the saddle again" so to speak.  After having our trailer sit for a whole year in a back yard we were glad to be camping once more.  The two dreaded "C" words in 2020 (Cancer and COVID) kept us from using our 5th wheel during those 12 months. That was indeed the longest it sat since we purchased it back in 2006.  Finally, on January 15th we caravanned from Phoenix to Parker, Arizona.   Don led the way with Doris in the middle and Jerry and Sandy bringing up the rear.

 Our destination was River Island State Park, a campground between Parker and Lake Havasu in Arizona.  Almost all the sites had been taken at Catalina when we tried to book a year in advance last January.  Admittedly, it's difficult to find a campground when we need a minimum of 11 sites for our group.  We were all thankful we could still camp since COVID was still hanging around.  This also meant we couldn't have our shared meals with our huge group and we either wore masks or social distanced.  Even old folks like us can adapt if push comes to shove. 

The photo below shows the whole campground and the entrance. Beyond the right of the picture is the Colorado River.

One of the drawbacks to this park was little or no cell reception and the only place you could get the campground internet was right by the office.  This picnic table next to the entrance became our morning meeting place.  Most of the time we couldn't even send texts between us even though our rigs were only yards apart! 

The campground map shows where all of us had our sites, with the exception of Allen and Roberta.  They wound up nearby at Buckskin after a screwup by the state parks system.  Missing this year was the Illinois group, Sherry, and our dear friends Rob and Gay Kohl.  Rob had passed away from COVID the previous week. One of his sons, Dane Kohl and his family were able to get the same site and camp with us.

Bobby and Kerry Cowen were playing a game of cornhole as Doris, Sandy and I meandered by.

Our small group was comprised of Don and me, Doris, Sandy and Jerry, and Norm Voigt.  We ended up eating our evening meals together, and sometimes breakfast, depending on the day and the weather.

One afternoon Dane and Bobbie Kohl, their boys Barret and Bryson joined us, along with their two huge dogs.

On the plus side, this campground had river access and many in our group brought kayaks. We discovered that the kayak Barrett had gotten for Christmas was the same exact kayak Bobby and Kerry had bought!  They both got their maiden voyages from the same shoreline!

Sadly, I didn't get a pic of Berdie and Allen in their kayaks, but I did manage to take one as they were coming up the boat ramp after one of their excursions.

We had planned on one special dinner that involved LIVER.  Not for me or Sandy, but enough for Don, Doris, Jerry, Norm and even John Eaton, the cousin who drove from Surprise to join us.  Sandy and I settled for tacos, which in my opinion, is far, far better than liver!

That afternoon was quite nice, but still Allen and Don were the only ones wearing shorts!

To be honest, we did have a few moments of no masks and social distancing, as you can tell from the photo below!  Doesn't this remind you of teenagers, all looking at their phones?  I can't even remember what they were doing at that point in time.  Maybe checking the weather or perhaps checking what time it was.  The cell reception not only was poor, but it kept going between the cell towers in Arizona and in California which are in different time zones! The same held true of people who had Apple watches.  I was thankful for my good old Timex watch that never went willy-nilly!😂😂

We were able to watch beautiful sunsets, the dazzling beauty of the night time skies with millions of stars and being with beloved family and friends.  It doesn't get much better than that.

Take a Hike Part I

We were hoping there would be a plethora of hiking trails accessible from the campground.  Unfortunately, that was not the case.  Basically there was one trail that started by the boat ramp and then broke off into different paths.

Here are Doris and Jerry stopping to check out Wedge Hill trail.  It overlooks the Colorado River and also over the campground depending on the path that is chosen.

Off we go for our first hike with Don in the lead.  There were quite a few steps leading up the hill.  I swear the cement ones towards the top were designed for men at least 6 feet tall!  They certainly weren't made with short women in mind.  But I had to be thankful that there were steps and I didn't have to crawl over huge boulders.

Doris got to the first lookout and pointed out the cave across from her.

Of course she had to check it out while I took pictures and documented the small excursion.  The cave turned out to be very shallow.  A bit of a disappointment for Doris but she was happy she went to see what was inside.

Hiking up to different points gave us exquisite views of the Colorado River.  Did you notice the change in Doris' clothes?  No, she didn't shed any layers along the way.  We did this short hike at least twice.  The second time there were clouds to enhance the pictures. This view looks more to the north, with Parker Dam in the distance.

Same hill, but this view looks more south and west.  Beyond the bend at the left is Buckskin State Park.

On one of the last days I finally got the nerve to climb the hill and take a path to a newly installed bench overlooking the park. Doris and Jerry helped me up and back.  They had walking sticks and all I took along was my Nikon. There was a bit of trepidation on my part as we made our way over very narrow paths.  Guess it doesn't help that I have a fear of heights. Hmm..😒

Don and Sandy decided to stay put, so they took pictures from the campsite.  I think they were the smart ones! 

Do NOT back up one more step Doris!! 

This was the view from the bench looking over River Island.  It was a nice little park, but with small mountains on both sides of it, you can easily understand why there was little no cell reception.

Take a Hike- Part II

 Nearby Buckskin State Park was our destination one morning.  Our goal was hiking a different trail that started at the base of the park and continued on to the other side of the highway.  Two of us crossed the bridge and three stayed behind after climbing the one hill and finding a bench to sit on.  You'll find out who those 3 were as this post progresses. 😅😀.  

Don, Sandy, Doris and Jerry checked out the Buckskin Mountain Trailhead.  Yep, it was the same as it was the last time we were here 10 years ago.  Same mountain, same trail (although my legs could have sworn the steps were a bit steeper and the path rockier than last time).

This map shows the locations of both Buckskin and River Island State Parks.

Doris was the leader, with me behind her, then Sandy, Jerry and Don

Somehow Don managed to pass up Sandy and Jerry to claim his spot on the bench with Doris.

Isn't this a beautiful view?  These three decided to plant themselves here and wait for Doris and I to continue on.  They were happy to have made it to the bench.  Kudos to Sandy for doing this after going through knee replacement surgery last year.

Doris and I continued on even though I had forgotten my water bottle.  If you look closely, the bridge over the highway is in the middle of the picture, slightly to the right of the middle.  We had to go across the bridge to get to the rest of the trail.

Here was the view from the pedestrian bridge.

After many ups and downs, Doris and I had a nice view of the Colorado River on its journey south to Mexico.  Mobile homes and RV campgrounds line both sides of the river.  Beautiful to look and peaceful at this time of the year, but during Spring break and  summer the noise from all the boats would be next to unbearable.

It was a great morning for hiking.  However, we reached a point where we were running out of water and also out of Kleenex!  The cool air made our noses run and run.  My Kleenex were used, so were the ones that Doris had. If we had continued, I would have had to start using my shirt sleeves!  We both had a good laugh out of that, even though it was a bit disgusting!😂😂  I sniffled all the way back, but at least both of us had clean shirts.  

"This is for the Birds"

 How many times have you heard that expression?  The connotation "This is for the birds" usually comes with a negative experience or feeling.  However, this is NOT the case for this post.

Although I don't consider myself an avid bird watcher, I have enjoyed hearing their sweet songs and capturing them in photos.  For instance, the Vermillion Flycatcher is a tiny, petite bird that I have only seen in one area during our many years of traveling across the states.  Many years ago I saw one at Buckskin State Park, which is also situated along the Colorado River, a few miles from River Island State Park.  This year, there were numerous Vermillion Flycatchers flitting around our site.  Out came my camera with the long range lens.  Getting halfway close to these tiny birds was not an option.

By comparing the size of the grated grill to this small creature allows you to comprehend how diminutive it actually is.

Here is a further shot of the Flycatcher while it's perched on a Mesquite tree branch.

The other petite bird that caught my eye was the hummingbird that was flitting from blossom to blossom on the early blooming Palo Verde tree.  While it's not rare at all and we have them in our home garden, they are still fun to watch. A long range wasn't needed for these pictures, but I made sure the setting was set to "sports" so the camera would take dozens of shots within 30 seconds.

Whiners for Wine

 We had very few nice afternoons during this camping trip.  Most of the days were cool, cloudy and windy.    Doris had gotten small bottles of wine from different countries for Christmas and she graciously became the sommelier for our group as we sat in the warm afternoon sun. There was not one whiner amongst us! Only "wine-ers"!

"Just a little more, Doris!"

"What kind is this again?"

While the samples were being enjoyed, Don showed off the hat he got from Boyd Lake many years ago.  The cap allowed him to sleep outside while his fake eyes were wide open! Even though he was pretending to sleep he sure didn't miss out on any round of drinks.

Thank goodness for fresh air and wide open spaces, which allowed our small group to get together despite COVID.  

Havasu Havoc

After many days of camping and hiking, we decided to go to Lake Havasu for a short trip down the Colorado River and lunch.  As you can see, the day was a bit cool and windy.  Everyone was wearing long pants except Allen!  He loves shorts even more than Don does.

Round trip to the Casino on the California side and back again was a whole $2.00 each.  Roberta paid for all of our group which included Don's cousins Allen and Shelley, her husband Jim, Roberta, Doris, Sandy, Jerry, Don and me.  You can see part of the London Bridge in the background behind the ferry boat.

Jerry was busy taking some pictures while Sandy enjoyed the view.

I wonder what Doris and Berdie were discussing along the way.  Maybe they solved some of the world's problems during that short discussion. Believe me, it was hard to hear with the wind blowing and everyone having masks on.

Our destination point, the Havasu Landing Resort and Casino.  We all had to disembark so they could sanitize the seats once more.  Not one person in our group wanted to go inside the casino.  No one was interested in: 1) gambling or 2) going inside that building with COVID still around.

As the crew disinfected the ferry, we roamed around  and found this lone palm tree with a beautiful backdrop. There was a sign directly behind the tree, but I was able to align everything up just right so it was hidden behind the trunk.  Even on an overcast day, the turquoise waters and purple mountains showed off their beauty.

Sandy had to stop and make a quick call to someone in London after we got off the ferry.  I waited patiently in line for her, doing the obligated social distancing required.  I don't know if she ever got through....

Lunch was at the Blue Chair.  All of us wanted outdoor seating even though it was threatening to rain.  It was a bit cool but the outdoor heaters were right above our table, so that helped immensely.  The overhead tarps diffused the light rain as we ate.

All of our group ordered fish and chips. Yes, every single one of us!  Doris did end up teasing the waitress that she had gotten the wrong order when the basket was set in front of her.  

This was a great meal.  Fish was nice and crisp and the fries had garlic and parmesan seasoning.  Delicious!  I guess the flowers were edible, but all of us skipped that part.  Do flowers even qualify as a vegetable? After all, they are plant based.  Maybe if I asked a vegan I would be able to find out, but at this point in my life, I'm not about to give up being a carnivore.😀😆